This invention relates generally to protective articles for fuel tanks (cells) used in motor sports, and more particularly concerns a protective cover for such fuel tanks.
Referring to FIG. 1, existing racing cars of various kinds, including stock cars, have fuel tanks (cells) 10 which are lightweight, readily removable from the vehicle and at least somewhat exposed. In stock cars, for instance, the fuel tanks 10 are positioned immediately below and extend forwardly from the rear bumper 11 of vehicle 12. Such an exposed position of the fuel tank renders it vulnerable to rupture and the danger of fire and, in extreme cases, explosion, even with a protective bar or bars 13.
High speed crashes between such vehicles, such as occur from time to time in races, result in objects/debris from the vehicles involved penetrating or rupturing the fuel tanks of one or more of the vehicle(s), with a resulting high risk of a serious fire. In addition, substantial contact with a fuel tank on such a vehicle can be made by a direct impact by another vehicle, usually from the rear. This typically results in a rupturing of the tank, and an immediate, large-scale fuel spill. Any spark which results from a metal-to-metal contact, or other cause, such as contact by the fuel with a very hot surface, will result in the spilled fuel igniting into a major fire, spreading very quickly over the area of the spill.
In such cases, there is virtually no time for anyone, including safety personnel, to react in time to contain the fire before it has done significant damage to property and people.
A rupture or puncture of the fuel cell, by another vehicle or flying debris, also can result in fuel being sprayed out from the tank a significant distance. Again, a spark or contact with an extremely hot surface will ignite the fuel. This can involve spectators and crew personnel, in addition to the drivers. Whether or not a true explosion occurs, which is actually not very likely, a large fire ball can still result. Such a fire, due to its size and explosive-like suddenness, can result in significant injuries and, in some cases, death to personnel, as well as property damage. As indicated above, such a fire can involve not only drivers, who are typically at most risk, but crew members and even spectators, when the crash occurs in the close vicinity of spectators or where the vehicle actually goes into the spectator area.
While fuel cells can be made more puncture-resistant by increasing the thickness of the walls of the fuel cell, this adds to the overall weight of the vehicle, which of course is quite undesirable in racing. Thicker wall fuel cells have thus not been well received. Even thickening the walls, however, in many cases will have relatively little positive effect. Further, protecting the fuel cell by moving it to a less accessible portion of the vehicle or by surrounding it in some way with the frame of the vehicle, is also undesirable because quick access and ease of removability/insertion of the fuel tank are important in racing.
It is thus desirable to increase protection of the fuel cell, particularly from penetration, without significantly increasing the overall weight of the vehicle while maintaining accessibility of the fuel cell.
Accordingly, the present invention is a protective cover for a fuel-containing cell for a vehicle, such as for stock car racing cars, comprising: a cover member which is adapted to receive a fuel-containing cell, i.e. fuel tank, the cover member being configured to cover substantially the entire surface area of the fuel cell, the cover member including a portion which is operable to permit convenient insertion and removal of the fuel cell, the cover member further including an opening therein which is in substantial registry with an opening in the fuel cell, for filling of the fuel cell with fuel, wherein the cover member is penetration-resistant so as to minimize the possibility of penetration through a wall of the fuel cell to the interior thereof by a moving object, thereby reducing the incidence of and extent of fire involving fuel escaping from the fuel cell.